Crystar's Unique Traits
These are the concepts for a trait system in COD Zombies, based on Unique Abilities from Civilization V. Before a match, a player can rearrange their Unique Trait just like they can arrange their GobbleGum loadout. A player can only have 1 Trait per match, and cannot change their Trait when the match starts. The goal is to provide a uniqueness to Zombies, tailoring the experience to specific playstyles instead of forcing every player to stick to the same type of playstyle. These would allow players to find roles - whether it be a supporting, tanky, damaging, points hoarding, or etc. type of role. Some of the Traits may seem stronger than others, of course. Below in the comments, feel free to suggest buffs or nerfs to any of these Traits. I’ve done my best to make all 43 seem unique in their own way. Optionally - a way to balance this would be to restrict Traits to Unranked games only, and give each specific character a default Trait for Ranked games. I know some people don’t like having bonuses that make the game easier, and that’s fine too, of course! Original Traits These Traits are for when I first came up with the idea. In total, there are 43 Unique Traits. Manifest Destiny: * All weapons have 10% more range. * Purchasing barriers and doors cost 50% less. Merchant of the Dead: * Activate wall buy prompts from a slightly farther distance. * Double Points power-ups drop 5% more often. * Buying ammo doubles your maximum ammo reserve size for your current weapon. Treasures of the Dead: * Killing the last zombie at the end of the round will gift you a random Gobblegum that’s not in your loadout. Can only occur if there is no Gobblegum currently in your slot, and can only occur to normal zombies. Crawlers and special enemies do not count. Dead Diplomacy: * Optionally spend points at the beginning of a round to receive a Turned zombie ally for the rest of the round. Increases in price after each use, starting at 500 for the first use, and increases by 500 each time. Sacrificial Blood: * Each zombie killed gifts ammo to you and your team, equivalent to 2 bullets per zombie. Teammates have to be within line of sight. Ingenuity: * The current weapon you’re holding gets Pack-a-Punched upon turning on the power. * 50% discount on Pack-a-Punching weapons. Zombie Carnival: * Special ammo types trigger 100% more often when a Power-Up or Gobblegum is active. * Earn a 50% chance to refill all of your ammo when a Power-Up or Gobblegum is activated. * These effects must be triggered by the player, and will not come into effect if the Power-Up or Gobblegum in question was picked up or activated by a teammate. Patriarchate of the Damned: * Carry one extra Gobblegum in your loadout. Refund a random Gobblegum in your kit every 10 rounds. Flopper Heritage: * All of your teammates get a free Perk upon turning on the power. Receive 5 extra hits worth of health while diving or sliding. Apothicon Lore: * Perk limit increased by 1 for every buildable on the map. Lose a perk slot for every buildable built, with the lowest being 4 slots. Box of War: * 15% higher spawn rate for Fire Sale. 5% chance for a Fire Sale to become a Bonfire Sale. * Weapons in the box spin 50% faster for this player only. Blood Fury: * Sprint slightly faster when using no perks. * Pack-a-Punch ammo bought off the wall is the normal price. 935 Allegiant: * Receive a refund of 5 times the cost of your last purchase when you trade a Wonder Weapon away. Professional Builder: * All player actions are 20% faster - this includes crafting buildables, building barriers, packing weapons, drinking perks, and more. * Carpenter has a 20% higher spawn rate. Keep It Moving Forward: * Teammates nearby you have their movement and sprint speed increased. Line of sight isn’t required, and the radius is 30 meters. * Receive a free Stamin-Up perk at the start of the game. Falling to the Light: * Wonder Weapons earn double the points. Fallen Tamer: * Special enemies have a 67% chance to turn into a Turned zombie, and grant you 2 clips of ammo. * All wall weapons cost 25% lost to purchase. Heavenly Light: * Your teammates recover their health faster, and take less hits before going down. This effect does not apply to you. Scourge of the Apocalypse: * Elemental effects have their radius doubled. * Start with a random free perk, that doesn’t count towards your limit. * Refill your ammo upon crafting a buildable. Road to Pareidolia: * Transportation features move 30% faster while the player is using it. (Slides, Lunar Landers, etc.) * Sprint 30% faster up inclines. * Gain a slight burst of speed for a few seconds after purchasing or Pack-a-Punching a weapon. Growing Arsenal: * All weapons do half the damage, but all purchases are half the cost. Wishing Well: * Gain 2 random Perks upon the first 3 weapon purchases you make. The 2 Perks are permanent for the rest of the game, but count towards your Perk limit. * This Trait cannot bypass the Perk limit. Perks of War: * Zombies ignore you when you are within 5 meters of a machine. * Der Wunderfizz machines can be used by the player before the Power is turned on, and never run out of spins when the player uses them. Blood Rage: * Deal 20% more damage from all weapons for every hit you take. Recovering health removes the bonus damage accumulated. * Gain an additional clip’s worth of Ammo in your reserve for each purchase made with the gun in your hands. * Pack-a-Punching refills Ammo for all weapons instead of just the current one. Wonder Scholar: * 20% higher chance to pull a Wonder Weapon from the Mystery Box. * Each buildable the player crafts provides a 1000 point discount on the Pack-a-Punch machine. (Minimum of 1000.) Counting Tallies: * After turning on the Power, receive a random Perk every 7 rounds. Each Perk given can only be earned once, but it does not count against your Perk limit. After all Perks are handed out at least once, the cycle restarts. This effect applies to all players. Crawler Terror: * 30% higher chance to create crawlers. 100% chance to create a crawler when using a melee attack. * Gain a burst of speed whenever you create a crawler. Money’s Gateway: * Receive 300 points and a clip of Ammo for each Zombie kill. * Receive 200 points whenever a teammate kills a Zombie. Undead Cavalier: * Melee kills turn Zombies into Turned Zombies. * Melee weapons cost 60% less. * Melee attacks match the base damage of the last weapon held. Weapon’s Legacy: * Special Ammo effects last 50% longer. * During a Special Ammo effect, you and your teammates move slightly faster and deal 10% more damage. Solidarity: * Receive a free Perk whenever a barrier is bought. Wayfinding: * Move through barriers without having to purchase them. * Deal 20% more damage while within 20 meters of a barrier. Morbid Curiosity: * Any player who rolls the Mystery Box twice in a row grants you 1000 points. Does not apply to Fire Sale. * Players who roll the Pack-a-Punch machine for Special Ammo types twice in a row grants you 2000 points. Glory to Ultimis: * 25% discount on any Weapons or Perks that have already been purchased by a teammate. Undead Riches: * Buying a Perk will reset the quantity of your placeable explosives. * Placeable Explosives come with double the quantity. Fractured Expanse: * The barriers of the spawn room are opened at the beginning of the game. * Choose the Perk you want when purchasing from Wunderfizz. The House: * Teammates provide 50% of the Ammo they expend to you. * Teammates provide the same Perks to you if you have an open slot available when they buy a Perk. * Receive a copy of the last Gobblegum you used if another player uses the same Gobblegum. Ruined Warlord: * Receive triple the points from killing Zombies and rebuilding barriers during the first five rounds of the game. Temple of Mars: * Gain a surplus of 20000 points when the Power is turned on. Blundell Prize: * Gain 9000 points as a refund when swapping a Wonder Weapon or Pack-a-Punched weapon. * When reviving a teammate, both you and the revived teammate gain a 10% boost to points earned. Serenissima: * Receive a one-time free purchase after special rounds, and/or after every 5 rounds. Receive 2 after the power is turned on. * Start the game with one free purchase. Blades of Blood: * Melee weapons cost 50% less. * Melee weapons deal 25% more damage, and scale with rounds. * Start with a stronger version of your standard Knife. Trait Packs After the initial introduction of Unique Traits, further Traits where released over time in bunches, with a specific theme dedicated to them. Home of the Free Fully released with the slogan "Home of the Free, Land of the Dead", the pack released on Independence Day, with a full set of new Traits to choose from. The pack gives the "Manifest Destiny" Trait a rework. The Trait names refer to various policies and phrases in American history. The pack is included for free with any Libertatem map. Manifest Destiny: * All weapons have 10% more range. * Vulture Aid receives a 1000 point discount. * Zombies take small increments of damage when within 10 meters. A House Divided: * At the start of a Round, choose a random Perk of your choice. All other players receive a random Perk that is different than the one you chose. * Slowly passively generate points over time, equal to 10 per second. The Great Society: * Gain a free GobbleGum not in your loadout whenever you Pack-a-Punch a weapon, only if you do not have any currently active GobbleGum. * For the next 25 seconds after a GobbleGum is activated, earn Points at a 50% higher rate. The New Deal: * Every 5 rounds, choose between two separate boosts - a 7000 point boost and a temporary discount on all purchases (by 25%) - or a 25% boost to point generation and a free Perk. Big Stick Diplomacy: * For each Player in the game, your Mystery Box Spins receive a 5% discount. (Maximum of 20%) * If a player is downed within 20 meters, they do not lose any of their Perks, and receive a free clip of ammo when they are revived. Perk Progressive: * Receive a free Perk whenever the first Perk-a-Cola is purchased in the game, by any player. Perks received from GobbleGums or Traits do not count. * When you have 2 Perks that another Player also has purchased, receive a free Perk of your choosing. * Perk-a-Cola machines have a small 5% discount. Patriot's Cry: * Newly received weapons from the Mystery Box have a random Special Ammo type. The Special Ammo type is re-rolled upon Pack-a-Punching the weapon. * If all teammates are down, Zombie Blood has a 66% chance of dropping. Balancing History 4/23/18, 5:47 PM: Nerfed "Ruined Warlord" - effect now only takes place during the first five rounds, instead of the entire game.